DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Grosvenor Lodge, located at 1017 Western Road, in the City of London. The property consists of a two-and-a-half storey white-brick building, a carriage house and a garden house. All three buildings were constructed in 1853.
The property was designated by the City of London in 1977 for its historic and architectural value or interest under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law L.S.P. – 2332-635).
HERITAGE VALUE
Samuel Peters Junior designed Grosvenor Lodge in 1853 for his uncle, Samuel Peters Senior. Samuel Peters Senior emigrated from England to Canada as a surveyor in 1835, and soon established himself in London as an entrepreneur running a grocery store, distillery and an abattoir. He invested his earnings in real estate and eventually owned and developed the Village of Petersville, the area west of Blackfriars Bridge, known as London West which was annexed to the City of London in 1897.
Both Samuel Peters Senior and Samuel Peters Junior were prominent residents of London and played important roles in the City’s development. Samuel Peters Senior’s importance in the community was evident by the fact that, as a representative of the Masonic Lodge, he assisted Bishop John Strachan in laying the cornerstone of St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1844. Samuel Peters Junior was first town engineer and then city engineer when London was incorporated in 1855.
Grosvenor Lodge is a fine example of a substantial Georgian residence, of the period, but its front façade, inspired by a manor house in the elder Peters’ native Devonshire, England, is an example of the Tudor Revival style. The Lodge was built of white brick, with cut stone accents on the balanced gables, the finials and window surrounds. Other notable features, include; the dormer windows; a decorative first-storey verandah, surrounding the east; south and west elevations of the house; and a symmetrical front façade. Both Tudor and Georgian influences are retained in the interior of the house, including the ceiling paintings and stained glass, providing a rare view of the lifestyles of a prosperous mid-19th century family.
The Carriage house is a one-and-half storey white-brick building located on the southwest side of the property, featuring a gambrel roof, with unusual window and dormer treatments. The garden house, situated to the southwest of the Lodge, is a small, six-sided, board and batten structure.
